This Oral History is copyrighted by the Interviewee
and the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program on
behalf of the Board of Trustees of the University of
Florida.

Copyright, 2005, University of Florida.
All rights, reserved.

This oral history may be used for research,
instruction, and private study under the provisions
of Fair Use. Fair Use is a provision of United States
Copyright Law (United States Code, Title 17, section
107) which allows limited use of copyrighted
materials under certain conditions.
Fair use limts the amount of material that may be
used.

For all other permissions and requests, contact the
SAMUEL PROCTOR ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM at
the University of Florida

G: Rex, was the state's attorney, he was also in politics rea stron? he got started

I think when Dave Sh'itz became governor. He was appointed state's attorney at that

Ybor 38A
LR
6

G: time. I think that the state's attorney here died in office, he had died in office

and they appointed Rex Farrit. And that is when he started, and then he became

real powerful when Holland got elected governor in 1940.

M: Spessard Holland? 01 c i \ V\ G ~v c OrI C5'~tl )

G: Spessard Holland, he.was Hollands real close friend. And I will tell you a little

story about that in just a bit. And Rex became you might say, he was a political

boss in this area, in other words, c ronfti boss. In other words I expect

that his relationship to Holland was so close, awd not only in this area, I expect

state-wide that he called a lot of shots. Iniother words when it came to the

of people in politics. And I will tell you a little story. Henry Toland tells

this story. He was a member of the legislature from Plant City, he was at one time

president of the Exchange National Bank. He is notpracticing law, and he up there

at Holland and Knight. And Henry said that he was not satisfied with the way Rex

FarrT-rwas handling patronage in Hillsborough County and then he went up to Holland.
rcx4-a5+ket- W 0 UIkA o-,
Holland' 1'bven governor, this was before*i I. And he went over there and he put

in his pitch to Holland and told him that he felt that Rex was hurting him as this

and the other, and why politically, and that he ought to do something about it. And

after Holland heard Henry's story, he turned to Henry and Henry says I want to tell

you something, he says when I went to college at the University of Florida, he said

I was a pitcher on the baseball team and Rex FcrfOwas the catcher and he never gave

me a bad signal, I thought that was a pretty good story. That reminds me of another

story that was related to me about Jack Kennedy. Apparently George Smathersr/who was

then the United States Senator wanted Kennedy to do him some favor, to do something
CDpCP A0- S ^ U.S. .-riy (rA ./-IIGY / 7-5-1 f?V _7
that Smathers was interested in, and he went to see Kennedy. And Jack Kennedy told

him that he would do it provided Smathers did something for him and that was to sort

of help Kennedy get certain legislation passed in the senate. And Smathers agreed tc

do that and Smathers went ahead and did his part of the bargain, and the legislation,

it passed the senate, but Kennedy did not perform for Smathers and Smathers got a

Ybor 38 A
LR
7

G: little bit worried about it. And Smathers had a very, very close friend named

Bill Thompson which is the Bill Thompson in that photograph that I showed you.

And he asked Bill, Bill often saw the president when he was at the White House,

and he told Bill, I wish you would see Kenedy and tell him about this bec-

ause I have not heard from him on the matter that he was going to do for m I have

done performed for him. And Kennedy gave Thompson a message, and Thompson related

the message, and said not to worry that Kennedy would carry out his part of the

bargain in due course. But time went on and the thing did not occur. I mean what-

ever he was supposed to do for~--- Smathers did no happen. So Smathers decided to

go see Kennedy. And he got to get to see Kennedy, I do not know whether it was at

the White House or some place else, and he said to Kennedy, you know I performed for

you, and I am going to cash in my chip now and he said you have not done what you

promised you would do for me. And he-said now Smathers that reminds me of a story,

and I.would like to relate it to you. One time there was fellow at and

every night before he went to bed he got a glass of water and put it right down next

to his bed there on a little table there, and his habit was to take out the glass

eye before he went to sleep and put it in the glass of water. And he said he did

thatthat night. So during the night he got thirsty and he grabbed the glass and he

drank it not realizing that his glass eye was in it, he swallowed the glass eye.

Well that upset him no end. And so he decided he had to do something about it, he

was real embarrassed and he went to A the doctor. And he did not want to tell the

doctor exactly what happened, so he started to tell the doctor, he said I have been

having some pains in my abdomen and he said, I would just like for you to sort of

check me out and see what is wrong with me, he said because I do not know I think I

that I ate something, this and the other. He did not want to tell him exactly how

stupid he had been. So the doctor told him to go ahead and disrobe and go into the
ningn
examils-Jroom and lay down in a prone position so after the doctor told him to disrobe

and go into the examining room and lay down in a prone position, the doctor when in

Ybor 38A
LR
8

G: the 'and he spread his legs and he inserted this instrument up his anus, a procta-

scope-and as he was looking down in there he saw this glass eye looking right at

him and he tapped this man on the shoulder and said hey, George, you have got to

learn to trust me. I thought that was a pretty good joke, don't)you. So Smathers

caught on ofourse, I presume Kennedy did what he told him he was going to do. I

hope these things that I am relating to you do not become public information.

M: No, do not worry.

G: Now, I have got your word that they are not going to become public information.

M: No, right, you could sue me, so do not worry Dave ScWItz?
G: &o-uy Ozf 6e^ ^,Iig Dave
G: I o not remember too much about Dave SchVftz except that he was Jewish and they

ran a dirty propaganda against him. He got elected governor of Florida and was a

very, very strong governor. Now, I forget what year, I think it was 1932 that he

ran, that is my recollection. I was at the University of Florida at that time.